The 2004–05

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

season was the 35th season of the franchise in the

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(NBA) in

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. During the offseason, the Cavaliers acquired

Drew Gooden Andrew Melvin Gooden III (born September 24, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently a broadcaster for Monumental Sports Network. The power forward (basketball), power forward played 14 seasons in the Nationa ...

from the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

, and Eric Snow from the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. In his second season, expectations were high for

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

as the Cavaliers hoped for a playoff berth. Through the first half of the season, the Cavs held a 30–21 record at the All-Star Break as James was selected to his first All-Star selection in the

2005 NBA All-Star Game The 2005 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played on February 20, 2005, at Pepsi Center in Denver, home of the Denver Nuggets. This game was the 54th edition of the North American National Basketball Association (NBA) ...

along with

Zydrunas Ilgauskas Zydrunas Ilgauskas (; ; born June 5, 1975) is a Lithuanian-born American former professional basketball player who played the center position. The Ilgauskas played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association from 1997 to ...

. However, as March began, the Cavaliers were unable to upgrade at the trading deadline as the team went on a six-game losing streak. Head coach

Paul Silas Paul Theron Silas (July 12, 1943 – December 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, he was a two-time NBA All-Star and earned five selections to the ...

was fired and replaced by interim

Brendan Malone Brendan Thomas Malone (April 21, 1935 – October 10, 2023) was an American professional basketball coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early life Brendan Thomas Malone was born on April 21, 1935. He grew up in Astoria, Queens ...

. LeBron was named to the All-NBA Second Team, and finished in sixth place in MVP voting. The Cavaliers finished the season with a 42–40 record, a fourth-place finish in the Central Division, and barely missed out of the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, losing a tiebreaker for the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference to the

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. This was the seventh straight year that the Cavs missed the playoffs. Despite their collapse, James had an outstanding sophomore season averaging 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. This was the last time that LeBron missed the playoffs until his first season with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

. Key dates: * On June 24, the

2004 NBA draft The 2004 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2004, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm ( EDT). In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur colle ...

, took place in

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, New York. * In July, the free agency period began. * On September 15, the Cavaliers named

assistant coach. * On October 14, the Cavaliers' preseason began with a 94–102 loss to

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

. * On November 3, the Cavaliers' regular season began with a 104–109 2OT loss to

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. * On March 21, head coach

was fired and Brendan Malone was named interim head coach.

Mike Bratz Michael Louis Bratz (born October 17, 1955) is a retired American basketball player and former the assistant general manager for the Sacramento Kings. He played professionally in the NBA for the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio S ...

and Wes Wilcox were added to Malone's staff as assistants. * On April 20, the Cavaliers' season ended in a 104–95 win over the Toronto Raptors. * On April 21,

Jim Paxson James Joseph Paxson Jr. (born July 9, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player. A 1st round selection (12th pick overall) of the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1979 NBA draft, Paxson played for Portland and the Boston Celtics o ...

was fired as President of Basketball Operations and general manager.

Offseason

Free agents

^*Selected in expansion draft

Trades

Draft picks

* 2nd round pick (#39) traded to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

in Michael Stewart deal.Lamond Murray and a future 2nd round pick traded to Toronto for Michael Stewart and a future 1st round pick http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/CAVS_OBTAIN_FIRSTROUND_PICK_A-53834-44.html Used to draft

Albert Miralles Albert Miralles (born 14 May 1982) is a Spanish retired professional basketball player. Professional career NBA draft Miralles was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in the 2004 NBA draft. The Miami Heat acquired his rights from the Toronto Rapto ...

who was then traded to

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Player stats

Regular season

* Statistics include only games with the Cavaliers

Awards and records

Awards

Records

Milestones

All-Star

voted as a starter for the

. He appeared for the first time in the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Development League

References

*
Cleveland Cavaliers on Basketball Reference2004-05 Season Media Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:2004-05 Cleveland Cavaliers season Cleveland Cavaliers seasons Cleve Cleve